Posted on January 20 2022
1) Clean
Using hot water and mild soap, clean your board thoroughly with a sponge to get rid of any lingering juices, sauce, or food scraps. The most important thing to remember here is to never put your wood cutting board in the dishwasher.
2) Dry
After you have cleaned your board thoroughly, the most important part is to wipe it with a dry cloth. This is step is important for maintaining your cutting board, as water permeating the wood is what causes the wood fibers to swell and then warp your board. This is also why you should never soak your cutting board in water.
After you have towel dried your cutting board, it is best to stand it up on its side or prop it up on the counter to let it drain and dry completely. If you lay a cutting board flat onto the counter while wet, it will trap any leftover moisture and could cause warping eventually.
4) Oil
One of, if not the most important step of cleaning your cutting board is to make sure it remained well oiled. Cutting boards don't have to be oiled after every single use, but we highly recommend conditioning or oiling your board once a month or more if it is used frequently.
John Boos Co. offers food-grade mystery oil, cutting board and countertop conditioner, oil, and wax. We highly recommend those products or any food-safe cutting board oil or conditioner. You should never use oils such as vegetable oil, olive oil, or other household or cooking oils to condition your wood cutting boards as they will eventually create an odor on your cutting board.
With only a few minutes of care, you can easily keep any cutting board in pristine condition for years to come, not to mention keep your prime working surface sanitary for you and your guests!